Can I be blunt? Yes. Can I be diplomatic? Yes. Can I concoct a mixture of vinegar and honey when the circumstances warrant? Yes.

Change doesn't happen with people sitting on their behinds, getting lazy.

If you're trying to get something done, there will always be people who don't want to see you get something done, or who have a stake in the status quo. And if they approach that through ad hominem criticism of you, you've got to have enough confidence and thickness of skin to be able to endure.

You have to make change.

In this day and age, the U.S. and Europe do not have the luxury of focusing solely on a single region.

Iran's economy is now shrinking by 1 percent a year. Its oil production is down 40 percent.

I may not be able to work for anybody else again. I may just have to work for myself.